


7AM

by ultrafreakyfangirl



Series: There are only so many hours in a day, but in that day, there are unlimited moments to be had. (Merluca) [2]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23363869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultrafreakyfangirl/pseuds/ultrafreakyfangirl
Summary: It's 7AM on a Sunday morning, but waffles are the furthest thing from Andrew's mind.
Relationships: Meredith Grey/Andrew DeLuca
Series: There are only so many hours in a day, but in that day, there are unlimited moments to be had. (Merluca) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1680421
Comments: 5
Kudos: 37





	7AM

**Author's Note:**

> Here’s another Merluca fic! It takes place before the events of last week, closer to the time where Meredith told her kids about DeLuca. Let’s say a few months afterwards. Hope you guys like it! As always, I appreciate those kudos and comments!

“Andrew…”

His name coming from in between her lips was soft, tired, very tired. It was like she hadn’t slept the night before, and one look at her face, ghostly and nearly grey in the light of the encroaching morning, told him that was a correct assumption.

“What’s up, Mer?” His palm against her forehead, he nearly pulled back in reaction to her temperature. Warm. Too warm, but not dangerously. “You still have that fever, huh?”

“Mm…” she mumbled, burying her face in his chest as simultaneous cries echoed throughout the house, a quick, harsh, sound of retching followed. “Bailey. Ellis. One of them. Or both of them. I gotta – “

Andrew felt her push against his shoulder in an effort to get herself in an upright position, and as weak as she was, it wasn’t difficult for him to push against her, nearly pressing her into the mattress. He leaned over to gently kiss the side of her head. He wanted to kiss her mouth, keep his own against it for awhile, but he couldn’t afford to be sick, too. Not now.

“No you don’t. I’ve got this. You rest, okay?”

Not when he had two sick kids to care for.

A smile that very obviously took effort and strain was now on her face. “Oh, how I love you.”

He smiled, too. “Same here.”

With that, he got out of bed and padded down the hallway barefoot; a hurricane of blonde hair and the tiniest feet with the tiniest toes, painted with soft pink nail polish was a dead a giveaway. Sweet, little Ellis was getting sick into the toilet, her whimpers anything but soft.

Andrew bent down and with only a little bit of hesitation, took Ellis’s long hair into his hands, holding it back from sticking to her neck like it had been.

After a moment, where a pause in vomiting gave the poor girl reprieve, Ellis looked back at him, her eyes bleary, confused, at first. “Mommy?”

He stroked her hair closest to her hairline, his knuckles gentle along her cheek. He hoped it was something soothing. Something Meredith might do.

“No, it’s not, _principessa_. I’m sorry. It’s me, Andrew.”

“Oh.” Ellis said that not so much as a jab itself, but as more of a statement of fact. It nearly made him laugh.

“But I’m here to take care of you, okay?”

“But…” Ellis’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Mommy always takes care of me. Because I don’t have a Daddy.”

That broke his heart. It really did. Ellis was the only child of Meredith’s to never know her dad, to never know Derek, and while Andrew hadn’t known the man either, he could imagine what it was like, to never know a parent. While his dad was alive, and around, during his childhood and young adult years, he wasn’t well, and that is what made their relationship suffer.

“Oh, _Ellis_ , sweet, little _principessa…_ ”

Andrew nearly resisted the urge to kiss her head, but he couldn’t, and he placed a small kiss to her hair while running his fingers through it, in hopes to disguise the act in case Ellis were to say something about it. She didn’t. Sometimes he forgot how little Meredith’s youngest really was.

Before he had to say anything else, she started to throw up again, and he was almost thankful for it. He could do this, he could take care of a sick child, temporarily. Kids were sweet enough, especially these kids, but he didn’t know if he was ready for anything more than that, yet. The thought of filling Derek Shepherd’s shoes in the way of loving his wife, was daunting enough, being a father figure to his kids was even more so.

“Andrew…” Ellis said slowly, unsure, and he couldn’t blame her. “can you help me get to Mommy’s room? I want to be in bed with her.”

“Sure thing, Ellis,” he said to her, scooping her up in his arms without so much of a preamble. She squealed a little, in surprise or at the feeling of being in a man’s arms, he wasn’t sure. “You okay?”

“Mhm. Thanks Andrew. I didn’t wanna walk.”

“And I wouldn’t make you,” he told her, smiling conspiringly at her, an expression that she returned, it seemed, without much thought.

“Mommy!” Ellis squealed again when they entered the room, and Meredith looked up from under the covers with wide eyes. “So it _was_ you, my little princess. How are you feeling now?”

Andrew didn’t even fight the smile on his face as it got bigger at Meredith’s choice in term of endearment. What were the chances.

“Better. A bit. Can I sleep with you?”

Meredith’s smile now matched his. “Of course. Come ‘ere my snuggle bug.”

Andrew carefully placed Ellis on the bed and she crawled up to Meredith without any hesitation. After getting comfortable against her mom’s stomach, Ellis looked over at him, her gaze imploring his in some way he couldn’t quite pinpoint.

“Andrew can you stay with us?”

His eyes flicked over Meredith’s quickly to gauge her reaction. She just smiled at him. Looked at him the way Ellis was. He realized now that it was a look of trust.

She trusted him with her kids, and her kids trusted him. It was a beautiful thing. A miraculous thing. One look at Ellis’s open, loving face, and he knew right away that he _was_ ready for this. To care for her and her children in whatever capacity they would have him.

 _Kids._ Andrew gasped with a start. “Bailey. I gotta check on Bailey.”

Meredith reached over and put her hand on his. “No, you don’t. Maggie came in a bit earlier and said that he was still peacefully asleep in his bed. He hasn’t caught the bug yet, it looks like.”

Zola had already had it the week before. Andrew assumed it was only a matter of time before Bailey got it. Maggie too.

“Stay with us, babe.” Meredith said, her thumb doing coaxing circles along his palm. “Please.”

“Please!?” Ellis echoed, patting the spot next to her, and Meredith laughed.

“You heard her. She’s got the final ruling around here. At least for today.”

Andrew chuckled too, and climbed into bed, right beside Ellis, who snuggled in close to him. He inhaled, smiling at the scent of sleep, dryer detergent, and sickness. As he placed a kiss onto the little girl’s head, he found himself not caring if he were to get the flu a few days from now.

He reached over and squeezed Meredith’s hand in his. He really did not give a damn, because there was nowhere else he would rather be right now, at 7AM on a Sunday morning.


End file.
